Filtering blood

[BigMoosie]

Just some thoughts I was having today.

 

Is there an easy known method of filtering alcohol out of blood? If so would it be difficult to create a device to you attatch to your arm which diverts blood into a filter to help you sober up quickly if the moment asks?

 

I was also thinking that perhaps a similar device could inject oxygen into the circulatory system, perhaps for scuba divers who want to free their face up a little from the mask. Would it have to be attatched to several major arteries or could it simply be on the arm or leg?

[insane_alien]

any filter capable of filtering alcohol out of the blood would also remove all the cells, nutrients, other stuff that makes blood blood. you could get it out chemicaly or just let the kidneys do their thing.

[Dak]

An enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase converts ethanol into ethanyl + H⁺ -- its either ethanyl or the acidifying of blood from the hydrogen that is responsable for the drunkeness (can't remember which), so filtering out the alcohol wouldnt have that much effect tbh.

[EvoN1020v]

I don't think you can filter alcohol from your blood, because the alcohol would be flow around in your whole body. BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration) means a specific amount of alcohol per unit in your body, so you should let your kidney do the job. If you were to doing some idiotic, then don't do it.

[prion]

Is there an easy known method of filtering alcohol out of blood?

 

You can't 'filter' out alcohol as it's dissolved in the blood. You'd have to do dialysis. Not a particularly convenient or quick option, I think it takes a few hours to set up and a few more hours to do its job. It's done sometimes as a last resort in cases of poisoning.

 

I was also thinking that perhaps a similar device could inject oxygen into the circulatory system, perhaps for scuba divers who want to free their face up a little from the mask. Would it have to be attatched to several major arteries or could it simply be on the arm or leg?

 

you couldn't inject a gas directly into the blood, if you get bubbles in your blood they block blood vessels and can be lethal, this is what causes the bends in divers when they surface too quickly. Again you'd have to have some kind of big heart/lung set up like they use in heart surgery, not very practical.